Board Game Cost Per Play Calculator
Track every game in your collection the way the hobby actually talks about value: what it cost, how often it hits the table, its cost per play, and its cost per player-hour for the games that shine with a full table. Your list is saved in your browser — nothing is uploaded.
Your collection
Considering a purchase or a Kickstarter pledge? Add it with 0 plays to see what it would take to earn its keep.
Collection totals
About the math (and the $1-per-play rule)
Cost per play is simply price paid ÷ times played. Cost per player-hour goes one step further: price ÷ (plays × average players × average hours per session) — the cost of one person playing for one hour.
Where does the $1-per-play rule come from?
It's a long-running community convention, popularised on BoardGameGeek forums: once a game costs a dollar or less per play, it has "earned its keep" — roughly the territory of cheap entertainment like a movie rental. Treat it as a rule of thumb, not gospel: it ignores how much you actually enjoyed those plays, penalises games you love but can rarely table, and a $100 game stuck at $1.50/play may still be the best money you ever spent.
Why is cost per player-hour fairer for party games?
Cost per play treats a 20-minute filler and a 4-hour epic as equal. Per player-hour credits a game for every person at the table and every hour they spent playing: a $25 party game that entertains 8 people for an hour delivers 8 player-hours per play, while a $60 two-player game with 1-hour sessions delivers 2. For scale, a cinema ticket runs roughly $8–10 per player-hour.
Can I use this before buying, or for a Kickstarter pledge?
Yes. Add the game with its price — for crowdfunding, the pledge plus shipping — and 0 plays. You'll see "—" instead of a scary number, plus how many plays it would take to reach $1/play. If that count looks nothing like how often your group actually meets, that's your answer.
Does my collection get uploaded?
No. The page is fully client-side; your list lives only in your browser's localStorage.